2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Long-Term Update 6

9 Months and 23,699 Miles

The coastal Californian definition of "cold" is usually anything under 60 degrees. Yes, the Golden State does get its fair share of snow, and has some world-renowned ski resorts. But if you want colder climes in So Cal, you have to seek them out. So features like seat heaters and the more recent invention of steering wheel heaters are rarely used or appreciated the same way they would in the Midwest or East Coast, where "cold" in the winter usually consists of single-digit figures, sometimes with a minus in front of them.

But Motor Trend ace staff shooter Brian Vance soon learned to appreciate those niceties after taking the Evoque for a ski trip, after loaning it out previously to Karla Sanchez for similar duty.

Hailing as it does from the often chilly locale of England, the Evoque's cold-fighting measures proved quite effective, as Vance found out. The tight cabin and proportionally small glass area of the Evoque, which typically manifest themselves in complaints about cargo space and visibility, proved to be a net positive in warming the cabin up. The seat and wheel heaters warm up quickly, and the electric defrost function on the glass cleared up the visibility in short order.

However, Vance noted the awkward location of the wheel heater function on the backside of the steering wheel made inadvertent activation a common occurrence. His praise for the Evoque's de-frosting capabilities carried over to the exterior as well, noting the Evoque's heated windshield washer fluid cuts through road grime and ice quickly and effectively.